During the premenstrual period, pregnancy and the post-partum period, most women suffer the discomforts of swelling (i.e. engorgement)and tenderness of the breasts, nipples and surrounding tissues due to fluid retention or lactation. To alleviate the pain and/or discomfort associated with breast engorgement, doctors generally recommend the application of moist heat (e.g., water compresses, hot showers) to relieve tenderness or cold compresses to reduce swelling. This is, of course, very inconvenient and, in many instances, impractical for a busy nursing mother.
Various thermal heat packs have been employed to provide therapeutic heat to the human body. However, heat packs have many disadvantages. Most significantly, the devices generally include cup shaped portions which do not conform closely to various sizes of the breasts, resulting in uneven application of heat to the breast. Illustrative are the heat packs disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. Re: 14,024, 2,298,361, 3,500,832, 5,050,595 and 5,304,215.
A brassiere capable of providing gentle support of the breast tissues can also help relieve the discomforts associated with breast engorgement. However, brassieres tend to provide an uneven pressure on delicate tissue and can cause greater complications. Illustrative is the brassiere disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,595.
The brassiere disclosed in the above noted patent comprises a pair of breast supporting cups, each with a thermal gel pack placed therein. Although the brassiere facilitates heating or cooling of the breasts, the device has many disadvantages, which include (i) uneven temperature and pressure distribution to a woman's breast region and (ii) limited areas of heating or cooling.
Further, the brassiere requires a multitude of sizes to accommodate the wide range of female breast sizes and shapes. Consequently, it is necessary to provide various sizes of gel packs for the multitude of brassiere sizes.
Therefore, what is needed is a support garment which is capable of providing uniform pressure and therapeutic heat or cold to the breast and adjacent areas to relieve the discomforts of swelling and tenderness in the breast regions.